The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) on Sunday while responding to a "bogus" media briefing on Saturday by some disgruntled KwaZulu Natal leaders over alleged abuse of office by some of the party's top brass including deputy president Floyd Shivambu, claimed that the group was being bankrolled by the African National Congress (ANC).

In a statement, ahead of the media briefing, the group said that they will call for a national conference to support the motion to suspend the party's Deputy President Floyd Shivambu; Deputy Secretary General Hlengiwe Hlophe-Mexine and Central Command Team (CCT) member Marshal Dlamini for imposing their decisions on the national leadership or CCT.

The EFF said that group were "certain former leaders of the organisation in KZN, who were less than 20 in number and misled our people into thinking they were attending a bonafide EFF policy event".

"It is not necessary to mention from the outset that this bogus press conference was outside the mandate of the organisation and is therefore not recognised by the EFF, a policy conference at which no policy was discussed.

"The EFF will not respond to ill-disciplined members who do not understand the principles of the organisation they signed up for. The EFF has founding documents including the Constitution and the Member’s Code of Conduct which outline in detail the character of the organisation and its members; the principles of Democratic Centralism which guide our organisational operation; and the roles of structures from Branches to National bodies," described EFF National Spokespeerson, Fana Mokoena.

"These are documents they signed up for and will be judged by.

"It must be stated categorically that the EFF is not a home of position mongers and we will not tolerate and support such a culture. The CCT makes carefully considered decisions in the interests of the organisation and members are constitutionally obliged to comply with those decisions. That is our organisational culture.

"If they are unhappy with processes, we have structures and processes within the organisation that are specifically meant for such disgruntlements. Ours is to build this young dynamic organisation and we shall do so without hindrance from unruly elements. These position mongers have summarily defined themselves outside of the organisation."

Mokoena said that the EFF doesn’t know of policy conferences.

"We have been here before. We have seen the likes of the 'Save the Soul of the EFF' before and they died a natural death because our mission is much bigger than these shenanigans of people who want positions at all costs, even selling their souls to the highest bidder. We know who is sponsoring them," he said.

"Once more, the ANC is bankrolling what they perceive to be a way of destroying their REAL opposition. The ANC must be ashamed. The EFF will not harbour enemies within its ranks. These members, by acting outside of the culture, structures, codes and processes they signed up for when they joined the EFF, have effectively expelled themselves. We will not tolerate ill-discipline.

"We call on all disciplined members of our dynamic organisation to focus on the programs soon to be outlined to them in preparation of rebuilding all structures across the length and breadth of the organisation. The War Council will present to them interim measures to take dissolved structures to fresh People’s Assemblies."

Mokoena said that the EFF is gearing itself up for "a showdown in 2019 after the 2016 elections, which taught us lessons and gave us a further inkling of what our people want from us".

"We will not be deterred in our struggle for the total emancipation of our people. The mission is too big to be derailed by a few ill- disciplined position-mongers."